GEAR UP Iowa

GEAR UP Iowa facilitators Graci Zeiger and Christine Nguyen were invited to present at the Partners for Rural Impact Summit this week in Lexington, Ky. They presented on 'Beyond the Cohort: Making a Statewide Impact Within the Confines of a Grant.'

They helped attendees identify different needs for schools, and resources they can use with their students. The assembled audience of educators, administrators, government officials and non-profit professionals learned more about the actions GEAR UP Iowa takes to implement systemic change in its communities.

More GEAR UP Iowa campus visits this week with Des Moines Public Schools students from North and East High Schools visiting Drake University and learning more about opportunities through its Bright College.

Thank you to all our GEAR UP Iowa partners who participated in today's virtual conference as we lay the foundation for next year! We enjoyed a full day of discussion and planning as we work together to fulfill GEAR UP Iowa's mission.

April showers may bring May flowers, but they also mean it's time for campus visits!

This week, GEAR UP Iowa students at Des Moines Public Schools visited the University of Iowa.

The day on campus inspired many students to learn more about postsecondary options at the University of Iowa with one student commenting, "I can't wait to take a deeper dive and learn more about Iowa!"

March continued to be busy for our GEAR UP Iowa partner schools and students. This week, GEAR UP students from Marshalltown Community School District and South Tama County Community School District attended Marshalltown Community College's Career Expo to learn about various careers in their community and interact with leaders in those career fields.

Meanwhile, students from Storm Lake High School visited Iowa Iowa Central Community College for a campus tour where they learned more about ICC's various programs and potential careers in those fields.

We were proud to be a part of an incredibly successful Family Night at Des Moines Public Schools' Goodrell Middle School last week! It was great to see so many students and families and welcome them to the GEAR UP Iowa family!

Good luck to all Davenport Community Schools students and GEAR UP Iowa students taking part in Steps to Success Week!

More on this week-long event that helps align students with their postsecondary goals and assessments to help them reach those goal.

Steps to Success | Davenport Community Schools The Davenport Community School District strives to ensure that all students are prepared for their postsecondary goals.

Class of 2025, it's time to start planning for the future. Don't miss out talking to over 75 colleges, universities, military branches, businesses and apprenticeship programs about your options. For a complete list of exhibitors visit https://www.icansucceed.org/icr-future-career--college-fair

Congrats to Goodrell Middle School 7th graders on officially becoming GEAR UP Iowa students! We're excited to help guide you on this journey to postsecondary education.

GEAR UP Iowa partnered with Storm Lake High School and the Iowa Motor Truck Association to give nearly 100 students the opportunity to learn more about careers in transportation. The event also featured the IMTA's driving simulator and students had the opportunity to experience professional truck driving as part GEAR UP Iowa's mission to expose students to a variety of postsecondary education pathways.

Happy Pi Day!

Careers in STEM fields are just one of the many futures that GEAR UP Iowa aims to prepare students for!

More resources on STEM careers and pathways are available here https://iowastem.org/

GEAR UP Iowa partner district Cardinal Community School District hosted a GEAR UP Iowa 3.0 Family Night last week to share the exciting news about what GEAR UP Iowa will provide for the next seven years in their community.

GEAR UP Iowa recently hosted another pair of 3.0 Family Kickoff Nights at Des Moines Public Schools and Marshalltown Community School District . Both events featured inspiring words from successful former GEAR UP students.

🚨Junior Scholarship Alert 🚨

Earn a college scholarship for up to $10,000 by applying for the Uncommon Student Award available to Iowa students in the Class of 2025.

The deadline is April 1. More info & to apply: https://hooverpresidentialfoundation.org/uncommon-student-award/

GEAR UP Iowa supports partner high schools in implementing educational programs to ensure students successfully complete rigorous college-preparation curriculum, graduate from high school, and easily transition from K-12 into postsecondary education programs.

Learn more about GEAR UP Iowa at GEARUPIowa.gov

GEAR UP Iowa Information and resources for GEAR UP Iowa, a program supporting underserved students to prepare, enroll and persist through college.

Last week, GEAR UP Iowa Family Nights helped more than 100 Des Moines Public Schools students and families learn about what it means to be a GEAR UP Iowa 3.0 student and the services the program will provide to the Class of 2029.

Learn more about GEAR UP Iowa at gearupiowa.gov

GEAR UP Iowa 3.0 programming is being rolled out in 13 partner school districts in Iowa this year.

Funded by a $26m grant, this 7-year program supports more than 7,500 members of the class of 2029 through high school and into their first year of postsecondary education.

More at GEARUPIowa.gov

Thank you to Grand View University for hosting our Des Moines Public Schools (East High School - Des Moines, Herbert Hoover High School - Des Moines, Abraham Lincoln High School (Des Moines, Iowa), North High School (Des Moines), Theodore Roosevelt High School (Des Moines)) GEAR UP Iowa students today! Students had the opportunity to hear from Admissions, participate in a micro-class, tour campus, and had time for a Q&A! Thank you for making this a memorable experience for our students!

Last week, Kirkwood Community College hosted 60 of our GEAR UP Iowa students from Davenport Community Schools, Davis County Community High School, Marshalltown High School, Saydel High School. Students heard from Admissions, a student panel, and participated in academic breakout sessions! We appreciate the team at Kirkwood Community College for creating a memorable experience for our students!

A huge thank you to University of Iowa for hosting our GEAR UP Iowa students yesterday! Roughly 110 students from Columbus Junction High School, Davenport Community Schools, Des Moines Public Schools, Marshalltown High School, & Storm Lake High School participated in the visit. Students heard from Admissions, talked with a student panel, toured campus, ate lunch in a dining hall, and had the opportunity to tour Carver Hawkeye Arena! Such an amazing experience for all of our students!

Last night, CHS Counseling at Clinton High School - Clinton, Iowa hosted their annual Career & College Planning Family Night! We had the opportunity to talk to students and families about upcoming FAFSA changes, the GEAR UP Iowa program, and encouraged attendees to sign up for the Virtual College Coach program through Iowa College Aid!

We love to see how creative all of our schools are! Way to go, CHS Counseling!

The students and families didn't let the heat scare them away from the Davis County Community High School block party. Staff, with the help of GEAR UP student leaders, planned an evening to help students prep for the year to come. They had informational tables, prizes, a rock climbing wall, community building activities and a lot more!

We had an amazing day at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny! Our 11 districts explored topics including: family engagement, middle school collaboration, campus visits, and academic preparation. Year 3 here we come!

Have you thought that a Year I LCAN Grant could benefit your community but were worried about meeting the deadline?

Good news! We've extended the deadline to May 31.

More information on this transformative program and how it can work in your community is available here https://iowacollegeaid.gov/LCANs

Thank you to the University of Iowa for hosting many of our GEAR UP districts (Davis County Community High School, South Tama County Community School District, Saydel High School, Des Moines Public Schools: East High School - Des Moines, Herbert Hoover High School - Des Moines & North High School (Des Moines, IA) -- Official page of Polar Bear Nation) yesterday! Professors and graduate students from Physics, Astronomy, Biology, and Magid Center for Writing offered incredible hands-on opportunities for our students and staff throughout the day. Thank you to everyone who helped make this an unforgettable experience for all involved!

A huge thank you to Des Moines Area Community College for hosting a college visit for our GEAR UP Iowa students last week! Students had the opportunity to learn about the various programs and pathways that are available at DMACC. Our students really enjoyed their time on campus.

Our South Tama County Community School District GEAR UP students had the opportunity to participate in a college visit to Kirkwood Community College today!

Centerville High School was the first of our schools to tour Turner Construction - Iowa and learn about careers in construction. We are so excited that our students got this in person experience!